Critic Reviews

Giants: Citizen Kabuto is an intriguing and magnificent game. Its differences in game style and in the cast of characters are Giants's biggest draw; no wonder it took so long to finish. For beautiful graphics, grand sound, and assorted gameplay, look no further than Giants: Citizen Kabuto.

Giants is one of those hybrid games that people will walk by because they cannot figure out what kind of game it is. Part RPG, part RTS, part Action and part Adventure it is all game and one of the best out there. Do not let this one get by you as it is one of the most original games ever done and work like this should be supported, clones are cool in science but in the gaming world it’s the originals that rule and Giants will rule for a very long time.

At the end of the day, Giants: Citizen Kabuto is a great game. The humour is consistent right from the start and nearly always borders on ridiculous, which is a nice parry to the action. The graphics are beautiful, especially if you have the latest hardware. But the reason you should buy this game is the chance to wreak havoc as a huge spiked monster and squash things! You’ll enjoy the ride and come back for more.

In multiplayer, up to five Meccaryn, three Sea Reapers, and one Kabuto can duke it out with each other in an intriguing online multiplayer game. Each has an exclusive set of resources and style of base design (Kabuto is his own base). The imagination that went into this game is impressive and the scope amazing. Three totally different approaches to problem solving and smashing things are all wrapped into one game engine to create a diverse experience. It's a little buggy, but still highly recommended.

Even with its bugs, Giants is still one of the most creative, innovative, and entertaining games I've played in years, and it's a worthy addition to anyone's software library. I'm still going through a little withdrawal sitting here writing this review as I'd rather be playing Giants than writing about it. While it's not perfect and it could have used a little more time in the Quality Assurance department, Giants is still a winner, and you'll be sorry if you miss one of the wackiest, inventive, and just plain fun games of 2000.

But, like any great PC game, the technological problems are worth the hassle. GIANTS breaks through the typically rigid constrictions of the action genre with a rare combination of gaming elements, bizarre settings. and consistent humor. Additionally, it supports a full range of multiplayer options, including the aforementioned real-time strategy game. Expect this one to surface in the coming onslaught of Game of the Year awards.

Here we have the classic investment game. If you buy it, prepare to invest a lot of time into beating it. The missions are misleadingly easy when you begin. After the third mission, you’ll realize that not only do you have a long way to go, but damn, it's a hard game. Giants will definitely tax your patience, but you’ll find yourself thinking about the most recent mission you can’t pass when you’re having some cereal at 4:24 in the morning because you forgot to eat dinner. Aside from that, this game is absolutely hilarious. Get it for the humor value alone, I say. References to testicular maladies in any game can only add to its draw. The writing for the voice acting is also particularly well done. Giants never takes itself too seriously – the greatest test for a game that tries to be funny. Yeah, there are the requisite bathroom references, but who doesn’t use that? A refreshing mix of gameplay and scripting makes Giants a game worth owning.

Giants is bizarre and funny without ever letting the silliness distract or annoy the player. Some of the jokes and dialogue do sometimes fall flat, but that's a small price to pay for a game that's generally so innovative and entertaining. Giants plays very differently, depending on which of the three races you're controlling, and this adds a lot of replay value to the campaign that would otherwise be missing because of the lack of single-player difficulty settings or a skirmish mode. Ultimately, the truly unique premise, coupled with stunning graphics and exciting gameplay, makes Giants: Citizen Kabuto one of the best action games in years.

Overall, G:CK is one of those games that should please most everyone. Unfortunately pleasing may come at a cost, a high-end video card and a fast computer. There's so much in this game that it'll remain entertaining to go back and replay some of the missions and then you can move along with the multiplayer. With the unique balance of the game, it should be a game for a memorable online experience. The gameplay differences between each species make this one of the most innovative games to come out in awhile.

Of course, by now you must be thinking - what the hell is this guy on about? He says no editor's choice award, but all he does is sing praises about the game -- how it features several different genres, the incredible eye candy... yada, yada, yada... Well, I can hardly argue with you there! The only thing that I have found wrong with Giants is that it didn't hold my attention. Simple as that! A small thing that nearly outweighs all the words of praise up to this point... And it's not like I'm this turn-based strategy fan who shies away from great action gameplay. Far from it!

No game is perfect. That certainly doesn't stop Giants from trying though, and Planet Moon does a fine job at jumping the genre fence to create a product that is appealing to fans of many different genres. While the gameplay in Giants is certainly unique, it will not be intimidating to most players since it uses concepts familiar to fans of other genres and effectively combines them without sacrificing entertainment for innovation. That's not to say you'll be able to jump right in and expect a zero learning curve; some aspects of gameplay, such as the jetpack and the sniper mode, may take some getting used to. Put simply, the gameplay is fun, although the game is so short -- due largely to the shoddy, easily manipulated AI -- that some players will feel somewhat robbed. Still, combine the humorous and effective storyline with the gorgeous graphics and sound, and Giants becomes the hit that its creators were obviously striving for, and a worthy addition to any player's collection.

Have you ever had the pleasure of enjoying a well-seasoned pot of Creole jambalaya or gumbo? If not, you have no idea what you are missing. Leave it to our history's impoverished ethnic groups to persevere and make something incredibly tasty out of an amalgam of foodstuffs that would normally never come in contact with each other, much less share the same broth. Ingredients can include prawns, chicken, rice, sometimes barley, oysters, ham, crab legs, clams, sausage, hot-dogs, okra, beef-stock, fish, garlic, cayenne and deluge of other spices. Bear with me. I actually do have a point. Giants is the gumbo of video games, the jambalaya of interactivity. And much like the aforementioned cuisine, it's a scrumptious meal packed with many varieties of gaming goodness.